Bed garment for infants



Ami] 13, 1948.

-|. HOLLOWAY 2,439,658

BED GARMENT FOR INFANTS Filed May 4, 1946 2 'Sheets-Shetf 1 mfifrroR. Irma Hal/away BY21pw, 11 62%? ATTORNEYS April 13, 1948. HOLLOWAY. 2,439,658

BED GARMENT FOR INFANTS Filed May 4, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR. Irma HUI/away BY M 2% Wed ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 13, 1948 OFFICE BED GARMENT FG'R INFANTS Irma: Holloway, Cedar Rapids, Iowa Application May 4, 1946, Serial No. 667,301

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This invention relates 'to-abed, crib or carriage garment for infants so constructed that the wearer thereof. can be reasonably comfortable, has substantial freedom of movement, especially of the arms and legs, but is nevertheless restrained from either falling out of bed or from acquiring a dangerous position. Many accidents have happened to infants on account of falling out of their cribs or beds or from moving around in their cribs so that their heads or limbs become entrapped between the slats or spindles of the crib. Also, many accidents have happened to children because they were able to move to such a position that they were smothered by their pillows or other bed garments, or strangled by garments which have worked .their way tightly around the neck.

One object of the invention is to provide a new and improved bed garment for infants.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved bed garment for infants which will comfortably restrain them from assuming a dangerous position, while permitting them substantial freedom of movement of the armsand legs.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved bed garment oi the general type referred to which is so completely adjustable as to adapt itself effectively to a growing child.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved bed garment of the eneral.

' to the parts of a childs body below his waist for changes or other purposes, without the necessity of removing the child from the garment, or removing the garment from the bed or crib.

Qtber incidental objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from reading the following specification and from an inspection of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the garment arranged to secure the infant upon its back in a crib, and shown with the bottom of its skirt closed and fastened to the crib;

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the garment, but shown with the bottom of the skirt opened and unfastened from the crib; and

Fig. 3 is a lateral section of the garment on the line 33 of 1 looking toward the shoulder increasing progressively towards the upper end,

so that the skirt in the worn position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 tapers towards the waist portion of. this skirt. This wrap-around structure. of the upper part of the skirt HI permits this part of the skirt to be opened up, so that the garment can be easily put on or taken off the infant, and also permits adjustment in the garment as it is put on the infant.

The skirt It has secured to its upper edge de sirably by sewing a comparatively wide flexible wrap-around body band M, which is adapted to be adjustably wound around the chest and waist of the child, and which can be fastened. in adjusted position in a manner to be described.

Secured to the body band is desirably by sew.-

ing at the front, are two shoulder straps I5- which are adapted to bepassed over the shoulders of the child, and. which desirably cross at the rear. Where these shoulder straps l5 intersect at the rear, they are fastened to each other and to the body band l i by a safety pin US.

In order to properly secure the infant in the. crib or bed, a flexible. fastening band l1 proided havin a pair of. tie stringatapes or straps is at each end. The fastening band ll reaches substantially across the crib or bed, and the tie.

straps 58 may be secured around the slats or rods 20 on the side of the crib, as shown in Fig. 1.

The fastening band I1 is secured to the body band l4 by flexible tapes 2| and. 22 extending in the same plane obliquely between said bands and flexible tape 23 extending crosswise of said tapes 2! and 22, and obliquely between said bands. These tapes 2!, 22, and .23 are secured at their ends to the bands I! and M desirably by sewing, and are of such length as to allow the infant to assume a comfortable position, and at the same time roll from side to side to a limited extent, which may amount to about The lower portion of the skirt which is open, has an. inside hem 25 along its lower edge through which a draw string or tape 26 slidably passes, and is slit at 24 to permit the ends of this draw tape to pass out through the openings in this hem formed by said slit. This arrangement permits the lower end of the skirt ill) to be closed, as shown in Fig. 1, by means of the draw tape 26.

For anchoring the lower end of the skirt III in position, there is provided a pair of tie tapes or straps 21 at its lower end, disposed somewhat centrally of the bottom of said skirt, and adapted to be secured to a slat or rod 28 at the foot of the bed. By means of this single pair of tie straps 28, located in the center of the garment, the child may turn without getting into any dangerous position.

The lower skirt portion ll! of the garment may be made of any material suitable for the temperatures in which it is to be employed.v For general use, for example, it may be of canton flannel or ordinary cotton, and for cold weather, it may be of knitted or heavier material, The several straps and bands I4, l5, l1, I8, 2|, 22, 23, 28 and 21 are preferably of tape to permit easy laundering. If the garment is to be used in a carriage instead of a crib, a more decorative material may be chosen, for example, ribbon may be used instead of tape, and the skirt may be made of. a more appropriate outdoor fabric and design.

Although other fastenings may be substituted for the pin I6, it is desirable to use the pin, as it renders the garment more conveniently adjustable. However, as far as certain aspects of the invention are concerned, buttons, hooks and the like may be used to secure the body band l4 and the shoulder straps I5 snugly around the child.

In putting the garment on, the skirt I is opened up at its upper section, the infant is placed inside the opened skirt, the band I4 is Wrapped snugly but comfortably around the chest and waist of the child, and the straps I are passed snugly and comfortably over his shoulders, and then secured in the rear to the body band M by the safety pin I6.

After the child has been properly set up in the bed garment, then the difierent tie straps I8 and 21 may be fastened to the sides and foot of the bed, so that the garment is properly anchored in position.

It should be noted that even though the child is restrained from assuming any dangerous position, he is free to move his arms and his legs, and toroll to a limited extent in opposite directions. 7 When it is desired to make any changes in' the childs diaper, undergarment or breeches, this can be very easily done by merely unloosening the tie strings or tapes 2'! from the slat at the foot of thebed, untying the ends of the draw tape 26, if this happens to be so tied, and pulling the bottom of the skirt open in the position shown 4 in Fig. 2. This permits accessibility to the childs body below his Waist without the necessity of removing the body band I 4 or the shoulder straps l5, and without the need of detaching the fastening band I! from the sides of the bed.

As many changes can be made in the above garment, and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention can be made without departing from the scope of the claim, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting'sense.

What is claimed is:

In a bed garment for infants the combination with a fastening band having means at its ends for securing said ends to a bed, of a wraparound flexible overlap body band adapted "tobe fastened together at its ends, means connecting the body band to one face of the fastening band to permit a limited relative movement thereof laterally in either direction while said fastening band extends across the bed, said means comprising a pair of separated rolling tapes adapted to occupy parallel planes, the opposite ends of adjacent tapes being secured to the fastening band, with the other end of eachtape being secured to said body band to prm'itflatliirrited lateral movement of said body band relative to said fastening band, a pair of shoulder straps affixed at one end to said body band and adapted to be passed over the respective shoulders of the infant and to be attached at the other end to said body band, a skirt secured substantially along its entire upper edge to said body band, whereby stress on said skirt is received by said bod band, the Waist end of said skirt being split longitudinally and overlapping at its split edge in conformity with the overlapping structure of said body band for wrap-around cooperation of said skirt with said body band, draw string means for closing the other end of said skirt, and tie string means at said other end of said skirt for securing said latter skirt end to the bed.

IRMA HOLLOWAY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,502,276 Siebert July 22, 1924 2,102,281 Pringle Dec. 14, 1937 2,230,492 Hilby Feb. 4, 1941 2,404,935 Weisel July 30, 1946 

